Background
Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) was reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes, many cardiovascular disease risk factors, and individual components of metabolic syndrome. We performed a cross-sectional study to elucidate the relations between GGT and impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Methods: The subject of this study included 693 adults (males 272, females 421) aged 45 years or over who have lived in Chuncheon, suburban small-sized city. IFG was defined by an elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration (≥100 and < 126 mg/dl). Results: The risk of IFG appeared to increase with increasing levels of serum GGT even after adjusting for other covariates, such as body mass index and inflammatory markers among men only: Adjusted odds ratios of IFG across GGT categories (<25th, <50th, <75th and ≥75th) were 1.0, 0.56, 1.57, 2.79. (p-value for trend 0.022). In women, the association between the risk of IFG and GGT was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study suggests that elevated level of GGT within the normal range is a independent predictor of impaired fasting glucose in middle-ages or older men but not in women.
